Mozambican food is one of the genuine pleasures of travelling here, and it doesn't get the attention it deserves. The cuisine reflects the country's layered history: Portuguese techniques and ingredients (garlic, wine, olive oil, bread), Indian and Arab spice influences from centuries of Indian Ocean trade, and Bantu staples like cassava, peanuts, and cornmeal porridge.
Peri-peri is the flavour of Mozambique. The African bird's eye chilli, called peri-peri, is used in marinades, sauces, and grilling rubs. Peri-peri prawns — massive freshwater or marine prawns grilled over charcoal and basted with the sauce — are the national dish in all but name. Peri-peri chicken is equally good. Any coastal town worth visiting will have somewhere doing these well.
Matapa is a dish you'll find throughout the country: cassava leaves slow-cooked with ground peanuts, garlic, and coconut milk. It's humble, rich, and delicious — usually served as an accompaniment to fish or meat, scooped up with xima (pronounced "shima"), the maize porridge that is the everyday staple.
Seafood along the coast is exceptional and reasonably priced by any standard. Crab, lobster, crayfish, and a variety of fresh fish appear on menus from beachside shacks to upmarket restaurants. The further you get from Maputo, the more likely you are to be eating whatever came out of the water that morning.
In Maputo, the dining scene has proper range — Indian restaurants, Lebanese, Italian, and a handful of genuinely good Mozambican places. The Mercado Central (central market) is the best place to eat cheaply: look for grilled chicken, fish stalls, and street food vendors. Avoid tap water everywhere; bottled or filtered water only.
In northern Mozambique, food shifts toward coconut milk curries and rice dishes influenced by Swahili and Arab cooking. Galinha à zambeziana — chicken cooked in coconut milk and lime juice — is a regional specialty worth seeking out.
Alcohol is widely available. Laurentina, Mozambique's local lager, is cheap and perfectly adequate for the heat. South African wines appear on restaurant menus in Maputo and upmarket lodges.